The addition of synchronous whole-body vibration to battling rope exercise increases skeletal muscle activity.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of performing battling rope exercise with and without the addition of whole-body vibration (WBV) on muscle activity of the leg, trunk, and upper body. METHODS: Twenty-eight recreationally active university students completed 20-s of battling rope undulation for 6 separate conditions: 1) alternating arm motion no WBV -Alt_NoWBV; 2) alternating arm motion 30 Hz low amplitude WBV -Alt_30 Hz-L; 3) alternating arm motion 50 Hz high amplitude -Alt_50 Hz-H; 4) double arm motion no WBV -Double_NoWBV; 5) double arm motion 30Hz low amplitude WBV -Double_30Hz-L; 6) double arm motion 50 'Hz high amplitude -Double_50 Hz-H. Electromyography (EMG) was measured for the gastrocnemius medialis (GM), vastus medialis oblique (VMO), vastus lateralis (VL), rectus abdominis (RA), multifidus (MF), biceps brachii (BB), and triceps brachii (TB) muscles. RESULTS: The double arm motion during undulation resulted in greater (p<0.05) muscle activity in the VMO, VL, RA, and MF muscles while the GM was more active during the alternating arm motion. WBV at 50Hz increased EMG in all muscles measured vs NoWBV and the 30 Hz condition. CONCLUSION: These results are the first to demonstrate that the exercise stimulus of performing battling rope exercise can be augmented by completing the exercise while being exposed to WBV from a ground-based platform.

Mediterranean diet, moderate-to-high intensity training, and health-related quality of life in adults with metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Much recent research has focused on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet on risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS). In addition numerous investigations have also demonstrated that moderate and high-intensity endurance training may induce greater beneficial adaptations in body composition and cardiometabolic risk than low-intensity endurance training. How a model of Mediterranean diet with and without moderate-to-high intensity training influences health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical fitness in MetS patients is unknown. DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 45 sedentary MetS males and females (50⊟66 years) were randomly divided into two groups: (a) hypocaloric, normoproteic Mediterranean diet (MeD); and (b) the same diet plus periodized moderate-to-high intensity training (MeDE) for 12 weeks. HRQoL (EuroQol and SF-36 questionnaires), fitness, response to submaximal exercise, and risk factors of MetS were determined before and after treatment. RESULTS: MeD improved some physical and mental domains of HRQoL (physical function, vitality, general physical health, emotional role, and self-perception of health) and resulted in weight loss and improvement of MetS risk factors (intra-group p < 0.05). Moreover, the MeDE intervention resulted in greater improvement in these domains and the improvement of other HRQoL components (physical role, bodily pain, social function, and health profile). MeDE increased physical fitness, resulted in a better physiological response to submaximal effort and caused a greater weight loss (intra-group and inter-group, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A model of hypocaloric Mediterranean diet combined with periodized moderate-to-high intensity training may lead to greater improvement in HRQoL through a greater effect on physical and functional fitness, bodyweight, and risk factors than diet alone.

Male powerlifting performance described from the viewpoint of complex systems.

This paper reflects on the factors that condition performance in powerlifting and proposes that the result-generating process is inadequately described by the allometric equations commonly used. We analysed the scores of 1812 lifters belonging to all body mass categories, and analysed the changes in the results achieved in each weight category and by each competitor. Current performance-predicting methods take into account biological variables, paying no heed to other competition features. Performance in male powerlifting (as in other strength sports) behaves as a self-organised system with non-linear interactions between its components. Thus, multiple internal and external elements must condition changes in a competitor's score, the most important being body mass, body size, the number of practitioners, and the concurrency of favourable factors in one individual. It was observed that each behaved in a specific form in the high level, according to the individuals' circumstances, which make up the main elements of the competitive system in every category. In powerlifting, official weight categories are generally organised in three different groups: light (<52.0 to <60 kg), medium (<67.5 to <90.0 kg) and heavy (<100 to >125 kg) lifter categories, each one of them with specific allometric exponents. The exponent should be revised periodically, especially with regard to the internal dynamics of the category, and adjusted according to possible changes affecting competition.